Many industrial fields utilize machinery such as presses, lifts, and furnaces which can be potentially hazardous to personnel if maintenance of the machines is initiated while the machines are still powered, or if the machines still include residual energy from prior operation. Thus, OSHA (the Occupational Safety and Health Administration) has mandated certain procedures, known as “lockout” or “tagout” procedures, that workers must use when engaging in machinery maintenance or setup. As of the year 2004, the lockout procedures dictated in Title 29, Section 1910.147 of the Code of Federal Regulations (29 CFR §1910.147) state that each worker must learn how to disengage the power source of (and to “power down” any residual energy in) each item of machinery on which the worker may operate. Such machines are often provided with “lockouts,” areas on the machines where moving parts may be fixed together, control panels may be secured, or power sources may be isolated, by use of one or more safety lockout padlocks (sturdy padlocks which usually have an elongated hasp and a brightly-colored body). Thus, once the machinery power source is disengaged and the residual energy is dispersed, the worker uses the safety lockout padlock(s) to “lock out” any item of machinery on which maintenance is to be performed, thereby preventing the machine from operating or otherwise releasing energy (and preventing harm to the maintenance worker operating on the machine).
Often, each worker is assigned a set of safety lockout padlocks which can only be opened with a single key which is uniquely assigned to that worker. Thus, only the worker assigned those safety lockout padlocks (and their key) may open the safety lockout padlocks once an item of machinery is locked down. The worker is also assigned safety lockout tags, which are elongated tags usually made of laminated cardboard or durable plastic, and which bear a receiving hole through which the hasp of a safety lockout padlock may be inserted (thereby securing the safety lockout tag to the safety lockout padlock). The safety lockout tags also usually bear words and/or images which identify the worker who initiated the lockout, and which warn others that a tagged machine has been locked out for maintenance. In some cases, where the available space about a machine's lockout do not allow the use of a standard safety lockout padlock, elongated calipers are used which close into the receiving apertures of the machine's lockout. The handles of the calipers may then be locked with the safety lockout padlock (and safety lockout tag) to lock out the machine.
In other situations, workers are not assigned their own set of unique safety lockout padlocks and tags, and instead all personnel obtain standard safety lockout padlocks and tags from a lockout station. A lockout station is typically a wall-mounted station where locks and tags are available for employees to access when needed, with several stations being located around the facility at the employer's discretion.
The foregoing lockout procedures, if properly followed, greatly reduce the risk of injury or death to a maintenance worker because the machine is largely restrained from operation (or other release of energy) while the maintenance worker is operating on it. Additionally, other personnel are prevented from starting up the machine during lockout and maintenance.
Unfortunately, the foregoing procedures are often disregarded. Such disregard is typically not intentional, since most workers do not consciously wish to ignore lockout procedures. The disregard for lockout procedures is most often due to a lack of lockout equipment, i.e., of the safety lockout padlocks and tags, which are very easily (and often) forgotten or misplaced. Thus, lockout stations generally tend to have a decreasing inventory of safety lockout padlocks and tags, and at some point there are insufficient numbers available to accommodate workers' needs. This problem, coupled with the problem that lockout stations are not always located at convenient places for workers, can lead workers to cut corners and begin maintenance without following proper lockout procedures. This is particularly true in situations where maintenance workers are under time pressure because each minute of non-operating machinery represents high lost productivity costs to the employer.
Another common problem is that maintenance workers sometimes operate on powered down machinery without lockout because they believe other personnel are absent, and that they may therefore operate on the machines without fear of someone else powering the machines up. This often occurs in nighttime or early morning hours when most personnel are absent and production lines stand idle. Personnel then enter the area and do not see the maintenance worker performing maintenance (particularly since the surroundings may be dimly lit), and they then power up the machinery, often with deadly results.
Because injuries or death resulting from failure to follow lockout procedures can lead to loss of valued personnel, further loss of productivity, and government fines for the employer, many employers impose penalties for workers who do not properly follow lockout procedures (e.g., mandatory attendance at a safety class, a day's dismissal without pay, or the like). This is often effective in promoting proper lockout procedures, but in some cases it can have the opposite effect. For instance, workers who misplace their lockout equipment, fearing that they may be regarded as sloppy and/or that they may face a warning or penalty, may try to work without their lockout equipment with the hope that the lack of proper procedures goes unnoticed, and with the intention to resume their use once the misplaced lockout equipment is found.
It is well known that many industrial injuries and deaths occur each year for failure to follow proper lockout procedures. It would therefore be useful to have additional tools available whereby proper lockout procedures are promoted.